That’s Classic

This week I’ve decided to talk about one of my favorite musicians. You’ve undoubtedly heard one of his famous songs at some point in your life. I’m talking, of course, about Billy Joel.

Billy Joel’s music is filed, in the itunes music store or (for some older readers) a record store, under classic rock. However, Joel always strayed from the sound of his co-genre counterparts such as, Led Zeppelin or The Eagles. Both of whom were enormous influences in the genre of classic rock. What set Billy’s music apart from the crowd was his influence in European classical music. This taste for sophistication in a song, more than likely came from his heritage. His whole family was from Germany and his father was an accomplished piano player.

Thus, the piano is heavily featured in almost all of Joel’s music. His ability to play the instrument is clearly at a masters level. The soothing and stunning melodies that Joel plays on the piano are so captivating that they can literally change someone’s mood into whatever the tone of the song is. Some examples of this exemplified piano playing are in Joel’s songs “She’s Always a Woman” and “Piano Man.”

A theme in Billy Joel’s music seems to be making a life for yourself in the New York/ New Jersey area. In fact the tone of most of his songs were arguably blues. They dealt with troubles such as getting kicked out by your landlord or drowning your life long dreams in a bar, listening to the sound of a piano. This connects his music to the average person living in and around New York City, which could explain some of his popularity in the area. His song’s “Movin’ Out“, “Cold Spring Harbor” and “New York State of Mind” bare references to New Jersey, Long Island and New York City. Also, take note that in these songs, Billy Joel uses a lot of saxophone. Using woodwind instruments such as this is another sign of his classical influences. Honestly, if you need another example, just look at his hair in the “Movin’ Out” video. He looks like Mozart.

Billy Joel is a music legend comparable to Sir Elton John. And I hope you take the time to listen to his music. Even if you find that you’re not a big fan of his music, I guarantee you’ll hear it again somewhere. So the next time you find yourself in a bar on 29th street, deep in thought, and you hear that signature piano sound start to play; you can think about the man behind the music and maybe even sing along.